Frequently Asked Questions

 

How do I read a tyre?

Tyres have 4 important details you need to know, the first detail is cross section width this refers to the width from the tyre's inner sidewall to it's outer sidewall in millimetres in the case of the picture above it means the tyres is 205 millimitres wide. Next is the tyre profile this refers to the height of the sidewall as a percentage of the cross section width, in the example above the tyre profile is 55% of 205 millimitres or 112.5 millimitres. The rim diameter measures the diameter of the wheels rim in inches, in the example above it is a 16 inch rim diameter. The speed rating refers to the miles per hour the vehicle can travel at for example V means the tyre can go at 149 miles per hour. A list of all speed ratings are below.

 

What is a runflat tyre?

A runflat tyre is designed with reinforced sidewalls that allows for the car to keep moving for up to 50 Miles after a loss of pressure occurs in the tyre like a puncture. The benefit of runflat tyres is that once a loss of pressure happens you are given plenty of control to get to a safe place / garage instead of stopping on the side of the road.

 

Can you repair a puncture?

A2 Tyres does offer a puncture repair service but tyres can only be repaired if certain requirements are met. One of these requirements is that the puncture of the tyre is in the minor repair area and not the major repair area. This is due to the British standard (BSAU159) which states that the major repair area cannot be repaired due to it being close to / on the sidewall which is the area of the tyre that has the most weight on it.

Another requirement of the tyre puncture is that the puncture is not too big, for this reason tyre damage such as splits, cuts and qouqes can not be repaired as well as punctures caused by larger items such as bolts or other metallic debris. The British standard (BSAU159) defines that the size of the damaged area can be no larger than 6 millimetres.

 

What is the legal limit of tread depth?

The legal limit for tyres is 1.66 millimetres, any tyre with a tread depth is breaking the law. At A2 tyres we reccomend replacing your tyres at 3 millimetres, most tyres start out with 8 millimetres of tyre depth meaning that the tyre is 0% worn but as you continue to use the tyre and it wears down the tyre depth also decreases. 

 

What are the types of tyre wear?

There are 6 different types of tyre wear these include toe wear, camber wear, center wear, edge wear, patch wear, cup wear. Toe wear this refers to when the toe of the tyre which is the outer edge of each rib is worn out and usually means that the tyre's alignment is off. Camber wear is a type of tyre wear that usually has one half of the tyre more worn than the other it can be a really serious issue when cornering more than anything else depending on the severity of the turn, this is also usually caused by tyre misalignment. Center wear is a common type of wear in which the centre of the tyre becomes severly worn down rather than the whole tyre, this is harder to spot due to the edges looking fine, this usually happens because of over inflation in the tyre as too much air leads to the tyres bulge in the centre. Edge wear is the opposite of center wear and is where the edges become severley worn down but the centre does not, this usually occurs because the tyre is under inflated which leads to the edge of the tyres having more contact. Patch wear is when the tyres erratically come into contact with the road and not at all in other areas which leaves patches of wear in some place and patches of no wear in others, this usually happens because of tyres that are balanced. Cup wear looks like erratic patches in lines as demonstrated below, this is usually caused by a bent or worn suspension system that are wearing against the wheels.

 

 

How can I check my car?

At A2 Tyres we offer free car checks in order to search for any problems like tyre depth, over inflated and under inflated tyres, if a wheel need balancing, if oil and other fluids are level, etc to ensure that all of your car based concerns are addressed. This way we can guarantee that you dont look over any issues when checking at home.

 

Why do I need a MOT test?

All vehicles that are 3 years or older are required by law to have an annual safety check or more commonly known as an MOT. This is done to ensure that the vehicle meets the minimum safety required by law. During an MOT a qualified and registered dealer and tester will conduct a series of checks and inspections all around the car including the interior, the exterior, under the bonnet and under the vehicle. If the vehicle passes all the checks and inspections then it will be given a VT20 MOT certificate that allows it to be driven for the next 12 months. If there are any items that aren't a fail but will require attention in the near future are listed as "advisory" items and you are advised to get them checked / replaced / fixed before the next MOT. If a vehicle fails an MOT then it cannot be driven until all the problems are sorted and the vehicle has been retested.